1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of containers for liquids and foodstuffs and pertains particularly to containers having two or more sections that are assembled together.
2. Discussion of the State of the Art
Bottled drinking water has become a much-used product in recent years because of consumer concerns about quality of tap water in many places. New concerns have arisen, however, concerning plastic materials used for water bottles, and the fact of leaching of chemicals from the plastic into the water, such as Bisphenol A (PBA). This chemical has been banned from baby bottles, for example, because it mimics chemically certain hormones. Some studies have estimated that this chemical is now present in the bodies of more than ninety percent of the US population.
Another difficulty with presently available containers for especially foodstuffs, beverages and water is that most such containers are difficult to clean inside, as the containers must be accessed through the typically single opening, some of which are quite small, and none of which are of the diameter of the container. Further, many containers, such as the plastic containers used for bottled water, are intentionally made to be discarded, and present a soon-to-be unsustainable load on the environment.
What is therefore needed in the art is a rugged container, designed and proven to be safe and non-contaminating for short and long term storage of human-consumable materials, such as water. The container should also be of a two-part architecture, to be opened along a seam through the major diameter of the container to make the interior easily accessible for cleaning, and the seam should present no contaminating effect to materials inside the container. Further, the parts of the closure that secures such a seam should themselves be capable of easy disassembly so that all parts can be thoroughly cleaned and perhaps disinfected, presenting no nooks and crannies that might resist thorough cleaning